Lighting Control System And Method - Patent 8143811 by Patents-106

BACKGROUND This invention relates generally to control of electrical lighting, and more particularly to lighting control particular to lighting devices with onboard processors providing programmable control of the devices. Recent advances in ballast-controlled lighting devices have led to availability of programmable luminaires. Some of these devices include microprocessors for control of the devices, e.g., providing automated dimming capabilities and powermanagement features. On-board processing capabilities allow local control of certain operating parameters. To date, such control has been limited to traditional lighting aspects, such as activity sensors to illuminate an area only when it is occupied, timermechanisms to disable some or all of the lights in a lighting system during periods when a facility is not occupied, automatic dusk/dawn control and the like. Significant energy savings, light pollution reduction, and equipment life advantages might be obtained if more sophisticated approaches were used to controlling lighting systems than is currently employed. Known disclosures, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,322, have described some efforts to address some of the aforementioned issues, for instance through use of a single microprocessor controlling multiple lamps. These prior approaches do not takefull advantage of local processing power now available at the luminaires themselves, and a need remains for improved control methods and systems that make more use of such on-board local processing capability.SUMMARY In accordance with the present invention, a lighting device includes a plurality of ports. In one embodiment, one of the ports is adapted to connect with a sensor. In various embodiments, the sensor is a daylight harvesting sensor, anoccupancy/motion sensor, or a camera for still pictures or video. In another embodiment, one of the ports is adapted to connect with a data device such as a router, switch, or computer. In one embodiment, the ports ar